History

Southern National Motorsports Park is one of the most historic tracks in the region. Southern National opened in 1993 and saw Scott Riggs win the first two championships in the Late Model Stock Car division. Throughout the years, new traditions were born. In 1998, Southern National joined the NASCAR family as a member track in what is now called the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. That same year, the Thanksgiving Classic was born.

Southern National Motorsports Park's most notable alumni includes Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series superstar and 2016 Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin, former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Scott Riggs, Late Model Stock Car great Jamey Caudill, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Joey Coulter and Brandon Brown, and two-time Martinsville 300 winner Tommy Lemons, Jr. Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion logged his first laps in an asphalt car at Southern National Motorsports Park in the mid-90s and generations of drivers, such as Brandon Setzer, Kate Dallenbach, Steven Wallace and Harrison Burton, among others, have competed at SNMP.

Southern National ran under the ASA banner for two seasons in the mid-2000s before returning to NASCAR once again. The track closed after the 2008 season and remained dormant from 2009 through 2011. In the winter of 2011, Michael Diaz and Jerry Brown purchased Southern National Motorsports Park and reopened the track in 2012 under the NASCAR banner.

Throughout the years, Southern National hosted championship events for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS), American Speed Association (ASA) and the Hooters Pro Cup Series and has also hosted NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events and the inaugural race for the CARS Tour.